Queenstown, Dunedin and Invercargill are among the 16 centres in New Zealand that can expect access to ''Ultra Fibre'' in the next few months, Telecom says.
The company unveiled its brand of ''next generation broadband'' with plans based on a choice of two speeds, a range of data caps aligned with its existing broadband plans, plus national pricing.
Telecom retail chief executive Chris Quin said before Easter ultra-fast broadband (UFB) was a national project, so it was appropriate to have national pricing.
''Our entry-level residential Ultra Fibre (Fibre 30 with 50GB) will be $95 per month, based on a 12-month contract.''
The provision of UFB to 75% of New Zealanders by 2020 is a Government-led initiative. Four UFB partners were installing fibre optic cable across the country.
Telecom is working alongside each partner and will be the first major telecommunications company to offer UFB at scale for homes, small businesses and schools.
Telecom Ultra Fibre will be available to customers in the Chorus footprint initially, because it is the largest UFB partner with nearly 70% of the market, including the three major lower South Island centres.
''Over the past year, broadband data usage among our customers has increased by over 70%, placing greater demands on existing broadband and mobile technology and demonstrating the growing role data plays in our lives,'' Mr Quin said.
